Brucemore’s bucolic landscape, with its rolling yards, soaring trees, timber-lined pond, and stunning gardens, is more than a beautiful setting. The Brucemore landscape is a time capsule, preserving evidence of decades past. Each of the families who lived on the estate left their mark. You can still experience the sweeping front lawn from Caroline Sinclair’s era that showcases the Mansion; the naturalistic designs of the Douglas era that create charming outdoor rooms; and the subtle, modern additions of the Halls.
The garden maintains the shape from the Douglas years and has evolved to a more exuberant, undulating, and colorful place. Vintage and heirloom plants reflect the history of the garden and enhance the ambiance. Along with the servant’s village and greenhouse, the landscape interprets a time when self-sustainability was of national importance. Landscape hikes and school tours still tell the story of gardeners and residential agriculture to thousands each year.
The landscape is one of the few remaining intact designs by renowned landscape architect O.C. Simonds. The grounds represent a time of phenomenal growth in the country’s history when westward expansion forever changed the shape and texture of the Midwest. The grounds illustrate enduring long-term benefits of a plan conceived around beauty and respect of the land. Situated on 26 acres, Brucemore has long considered its park-like, natural surrounding one of its greatest gifts to the community.
Topics: Spotlight Site
